The California Coast

It’s the most spectacular trail in the state. It leads from one miraculous vista to another: a mountain peak shrouded in morning mist, a lighthouse poised vigilantly on a promontory, the ocean’s energy vented on coastal cliffs. When storms stream in off the Pacific, this trail never gets muddy. You can take it for hundreds of miles in hideous weather and never get your feet wet. It’s the trail known as Highway 1.

The Pinnacle, Point Lobos State Reserve.

Purple-colored ochre star, Moss Beach.

Mt. Diablo at sunrise viewed from East Peak, Mt. Tamalpais.

Mt. Tamalpais State Park.

The Slot, Point Lobos State Reserve.

Ready for a hellacious hike? Test your mettle on the paved but precipitous hills of San Francisco.